Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Just a reminder: A benefit for musician Kevin Junior will be held at the Lincoln Tap Room this Thursday night. Proceeds from the bash, which will include performances by singer-guitarist Phil Angotti and guitarist Ellis Clark from The Handcuffs among others, will go towards Junior’s medical bills for an upcoming heart surgery. Junior is probably best known for his work with The Chamber Strings, but he’s also a solo artist and has worked with Angotti and other musicians at live gigs around Chicago. He’s scheduled to perform at the benefit. Show time is 9:00 PM. The Lincoln Tap Room is located at 3010 N. Lincoln Avenue. There’s a $10 cover charge, and donations can also be made at the Friends of Kevin Junior fundraising site.

The Bangles’ first CD of new material in seven years drops today, just prior to a 16-date American tour that kicks off in Philadelphia on October 1st. The schedule includes an October 10th date at The House Of Blues in Chicago. Sweetheart Of The Sun, a collection of 10 originals and two covers, is the first Bangles recording since their 1982 self-titled EP that doesn’t include bassist Michael Steele. It has drawn favorable reviews from NPR and assorted blog sites. I’ve already submitted my take on the Sweetheart to the Illinois Entertainer, so hopefully it will run in the October issue.

Bangles fans in the Los Angeles area will have an opportunity to hear an acoustic set by the band and purchase signed copies of the new CD tonight from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM at The Grove Barnes and Noble. Legendary disc jockey Rodney Bingenheimer, a Bangles supporter from the earliest days, is serving as host. I may not be a Bingenheimer, but if The Bangles are looking for a host to do something like this in Chicago, I’m available.

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About This Blog

Broken Hearted Toy is an eclectic celebration of creativity, with over 2,000 posts since 2009.

It's based in Chicago but covers power pop, garage, cutting-edge, and 1960s rock from around the globe; along with occasional bits on art; literature; and theatre.

Top of the hill is a nice place to be at. - - - "Elevated Observations" by The Hollies.

Check out some of my previoius creative endeavors.

Sunday Morning Coffee With Jeff was a weekly Internet show created by and starring Jeff Kelley. It mostly consisted of comedy bits and obscure 1960s garage rock set to vintage TV and film clips but also spotlighted entertainment events around Illinois.

My wife Pam and I created a handful of series (each episode was about two minutes long) that were shown on Sunday Morning Coffee With Jeff. They included Manchester Gallery (see description below); Old Days, which I hosted in the persona of a cranky old man named Fritz Willoughby; Roving Reporter, where I played the clueless title character; What's With Terry?, a performance arts program; and Hanging With The Hollies, a takeoff on Breakfast With The Beatles.

I've also worked with Kelley and Willy Deal on comedy clips, and with Kelley and David Metzger on films for the annual Nightmare on Chicago Street Halloween festival in Elgin.

I'm particularly proud of this 21-episode comedy series Pam and I created for Sunday Morning Coffee With Jeff. Each installment was a few minutes long, and featured me portraying Terrence, the curator of a pop culture museum.

I was a staff writer for this Chicago-based magazine from 1987 to 2015. The Illinois Entertainer has been covering rock music for over 40 years, and can be found in stores and entertainment venues, as well as in an online edition.

Chicago Art Machine was a web-based publishing company run by Editor-in-Chief, Kathryn Born, and Managing Editor, Robin Dluzen, that included Chicago Art Magazine, Chicago DIY Film,Chicago Performance And Trailers, and TINC. Most of my submissions appeared in Chicago DIY Film and Chicago Performance And Trailers, although I contributed to all the online Chicago Art Machine publications.

I was a writer and performer with this local comedy group from 1989 to 2009. Famous In The Future continues to perform in the Chicago area, and appeared at every one of the Abbie Hoffman Died For Our Sinstheatre festivals that were held at the Mary-Arrchie Theatre. Since the closing of the Mary-Arrchie Theatre a few years ago, Famous In The Future has carried on the tradition by presenting Yippie Fest each year in August.

I'm an active member of SCBWI, (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) and have written two Middle Grade fantasy novels. I've just finished a YA/paranormal novel, and also wrote a suspense/satiric novel that takes place amidst Chicago's alternative music scene in the mid-1980s.

Broken Hearted Toy

The blog title comes from the line, "I'm the brokenhearted toy you play with" in the song "I Can't Let Go" by The Hollies. One of the great original British Invasion bands, The Hollies continue to have an immense influence on power pop bands to this day, and have finally been inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Here is a video of "I Can't Let Go" being performed in 1966.